I’m a Contestant On “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition”
A wild journey begins.
So here it is, the story I’ve been dying to write for the longest time, and the big announcement I hinted at the end of my last article. I’m a contestant on “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition.”
Here’s the official poster:
I’m lounging at the top-left corner, looking fly in my maroon suit.
I’m sure everyone here has watched or at least heard of The Apprentice. It’s the show that, for better or worse, catapulted one ex-POTUS to fame. But this season of The Apprentice is not going to be the tired, old Apprentice of yore.
No, it’s the first Apprentice in history to feature physical challenges as well as the traditional business contests. This very aspect is what caught my attention. I’ve always been fascinated by the samurai concept of the pen and the sword, intrigued by the idea that an actualised human being is somebody who is well-versed in both the martial and intellectual aspects of life.
As mentioned in the trailer, it’s not your grandfather’s apprentice. It’s billed as the toughest Apprentice ever, and believe me, that’s not far from the truth.
A $250k Job Offer At My Dream Company
Should I come out on top, I’ll receive a six-figure job offer at ONE Championship. ONE is Asia’s largest mixed-martial-arts (MMA) promotion, and one of the world’s largest global sports properties.
Now, I’ve always been a bit of an individualist. Yes, I’ve been an entrepreneur running my own events business out of my iPhone since 2018— in fact, it’s one of the first few stories I wrote about on Medium. I’m the one helming my business’s day-to-day operations and marketing.
But the truth remains — I’ve never once held a corporate job. I’ve never wanted to hold a corporate job. That’s why I got into writing and entrepreneurship in the first place; to live life the way I want to. On my terms, my conditions, my rules.
But an opportunity like this is simply too good to pass by. I beat out thousands of applicants to be one of the sixteen Chosen Ones, that in itself is no mean feat. And the clincher is this: should I win, I’ll be able to work with ONE Championship to elevate martial arts in Asia, something I’m very passionate about— under Mr Chatri Sityodtong no less, the man responsible for growing Asian MMA from a backwater to the global powerhouse it is today.
I’m not a fan of hyperbole, but it’s hard not to say this isn’t a once in a lifetime opportunity.
The Sixteen
Winning isn’t going to be easy, though. I face stiff competition.
Each of the sixteen, like me, beat out thousands of applicants to win a spot on the show. Unlike me, they’ve flown in from all over the world (during a global pandemic, no less) to my home-ground of Singapore, all for the chance to chase this long shot of a dream. They hail from countries as far-flung as:
- Venezuela
- The United States
- Thailand
- Germany
- The Philippines
- And more
These contestants are the cream of the crop, and I look forward to testing my mettle against them — and to the friendships that are bound to be found and forged in the fires of adversity.
A Message To My Readers
And to you, my dear readers. A big reason why I took up this challenge was because of the old writing truism: “If you want to write interesting stories, you have to be an interesting person.”
And this is another interesting experience under the belt, another bunch of cool stories to write for my favourite fans in the world. Thank you for sticking with me, through the good stories and the bad, through the daily grind of real-life and the soon-to-be highlights of reality TV.
This one is for you.
Love,
Alvin
The show premiers on March — here’s a list of channels you can watch it at. To stay up to date with my journey to the top, follow me on Instagram.